Dream with Your Kids

The new school year has just begun, our children will now be in school most of the time. They will be exposed to various activities and will be dealing with so many people, their teachers and classmates. Aside from home, the school is a learning ground where the dreams in life of our children are being nurtured. As parents, our role is to be supportive of their endeavors not only in their school activities but in all aspects of their lives. May we guide them and become our children’s partners in reaching their dreams.

Before our children could reach their dreams, they are first dreamers. I would like to share with you the following summary on the Seven Secrets for Raising a Dreamer that I’ve discovered from the book The Dream Giver for Parents by Bruce and Darlene Marie Wilkinson with Andries Cilliers:

Secret number 1: Dare to let your children dream of changing the world. – As parents we are reminded that our children has a dream. It isn’t up to us or our children to create a dream for them, for our dreams come from God. But our children must discover their dreams. The dream that the Dream Giver (God) has placed in our children’s heart is unique as their fingerprints. Our children were born to live this dream.

Secret number 2: Raise them with Dreams that will bring meaning into their lives. – When you dream with your children, always keep the Dream Giver’s Big Dream in mind. Talk to them about how their Dreams fit in with God’s. Encourage them and praise every effort they make to break out on their own.

Secret number 3: Explore all the life-areas they are good at or that excite them – clear indicators of the made-to-fit Dreams that God put into their hearts. – A better way to help our children is to discover with them, and with the Dream Giver, the direction in which their gifts point. Play with them from early childhood, but allow the child to take the lead in the game. Cultivate an interest in the things that fascinate your children. As they grow older, you will see what their real interests are.

Secret number 4: Affirm your own belief in your children’s Dreams by exposing them to all the available information and experiences that will help them define their Dreams. – Teach your child what “gifted” really means. Children must come to understand that our talents really are gifts from God that equip us for living our dreams. Embrace your children with love. Show your children that you still believe in their Dreams, no matter what has gone wrong.

Secret number 5: Make use of every opportunity to help them learn from role models – positive and negative ones. – Make sure that the boundaries between your world and that of your children remain open. Do not only let them socialize only with their own age group. Help them to get to know other adults, including elderly people. The better children communicate across the generation gap, the greater the chance that they will appreciate the value of role models from other generations beside their own.

Secret number 6: Encourage your children to rely on the Dream Giver as the only Guide who will show them how to shape their Dreams to fit in with God’s Big Dream for the world. – Parents who raise their children from the outset to come to know the true God open the door for them to discover that they really are Somebody – unique people before God. The harsh reality of parenthood is that often you cannot be there when your children are experiencing their worst difficulties or enjoying their greatest success. But God always is with them. Therefore, the Dream Giver is the only trustworthy Guide for your children.

Secret number 7: Remind them that following a Big Dream requires perseverance, tenacity and creative problem solving. – There is one thing we have to teach our children: Life is difficult. They need to know that no Dream comes true by itself. And the fact that one’s Dream is a gift from the Dream Giver doesn’t imply that one’s Dream Journey will be an easy ride! The Bible also makes no secret of it. John 16:33 states, “In this world you will have trouble.” Thank God, encouragement follows directly, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

For us parents, may the above secrets help us in dreaming with our kids and be reminded that in everything, God works for the good of those who love Him, whom He has called according to His plan (Romans 8:28). With that, may the dreams of our children be in accordance with the Lord’s most holy will.